Census 2027: First phase completed in 31 states, UTs
What's the story
The first phase of Census 2027 has been completed in 31 states and union territories (UTs), Minister of State in the Ministry of Home Affairs Nityanand Rai said. The first phase includes houselisting and housing census, with the remaining states expected to finish by September 2026. So far, ₹4,102 crore has been released for training census functionaries and technical infrastructure.
Caste enumeration
Ladakh to be 1st region to demonstrate caste enumeration
Ladakh will be the first region to demonstrate how caste will be enumerated in Census 2027.
The second phase, Population Enumeration, is likely to ask questions on 40 parameters and provide an open-ended column for caste enumeration.
This phase is scheduled from September 1-30, 2026, in snow-bound areas of Ladakh and Jammu & Kashmir.
Digital tools
Self-enumeration will be available
Self-enumeration will be available from August 17-31, 2026.
Chief principal census officer (CPCO) and director, census operations (DCO), J&K and Ladakh, Amit Sharma, said Ladakh will be the first region to complete this exercise due to its snow-bound nature.
The government has developed digital tools for this phase of the census.
Employment
Government aims to generate 1.02 crore man-days of employment
The government aims to engage around 18,600 technical personnel at the local levels for about 550 days for the successful conduct of Census 2027. This would generate roughly 1.02 crore man-days of employment.
The Union Cabinet had approved a budget of ₹11,718.24 crore for this exercise in December last year.
Data source
About Census
Census 2027 will be the 16th census in India and the eighth since independence.
It is the biggest source of primary data at village, town, and ward levels on various parameters such as housing condition, amenities and assets, demography, religion, SC and ST, language, literacy and education, economic activity, and migration and fertility among others.
The Census Act of 1948 provides the legal framework for conducting this exercise.